The emotive and significant Great War Battle of Jutland loss of the armoured cruiser Black Prince Commanding Officer’s group and August 1909 Imperial Russian Order of St Stanislas group awarded to Captain T.P. Bonham, Royal Navy. The son of Admiral C. W. Bonham, R.N., he saw service from January 1886, and was variously employed afloat and ashore, and for his services as the Commander of Vernon Torpedo School, may well have been involved in training Russian naval officers, hence his award of the Order of St Stanislaus 3rd Class in August 1909. By the outbreak of the Great War he was the Inspecting Captain of Mine Sweeping Vessels and held this position though to January 1916 when given command the fateful command of Black Prince, which was later sunk at Jutland on the night of 31 May to 1 June 1916, with the loss of Bonham and the entirety of her crew after she blew up. Some 857 officers and men lost their lives. The cruiser Black Prince which, at the first meeting of the two main fleets had followed her flagship, Defence, into action and been roughly handled at the time that Defence had been blown up and Warrior disabled, had been left behind by the Grand Fleet's turn to the southward after deployment. For some reason which will never be known, she was still at this time far astern of and out of touch with the British fleet; but when a line of battleships was dimly seen ahead, it was no doubt thought that they were the British squadrons. Course was altered to close them. At a bare half-mile range, the German recognition signal flashed out. The horrified Captain Bonham, swung his ship away in a desperate effort to escape, but it was too late. ‘In the battleship Thuringen, the same deadly efficient night action procedure that had been displayed at the head of the line went into play. Brilliantly lit by half-a-dozen searchlights, the Black Prince was raked from stern to stem by a tornado of shells and lay a helpless wreck before she could even fire a shot in reply. As she drifted down the German line, ship after ship opened up on her, Thuringen, Ostfriesland, Nassau and, finally, as the fleet flagship Friedrich der Grosse, added her quota, the Black Prince met the same end as the Defence, blowing up with a tremendous explosion, vanishing with all hands...'
Group of 3 with Memorial Plaque: British War Medal and Victory Medal with Mention in Despatches Oakleaf; (CAPT. T.P. BONHAM. R.N.); Memorial Plaque named to; (THOMAS PARRY BONHAM), this housed in its protective envelope and with Buckingham Palace enclosure; Imperial Russia: Order of St Stanislaus, 3rd Class neck badge by Eduard, gold and enamels, kokoshnik mark for 1908-1917, with length of neck ribbon.
Condition: Extremely Fine.
Thomas Parry Bonham was born on 31 March 1873 and was the son of Admiral C. W. Bonham, R.N. He entered the Royal Navy on 15 January 1886 as a Naval Cadet with the training ship Britannia, before being commissioned as a Midshipman on 15 February 1888, and gaining 11 months seniority on his passing out. Having first gone to sea aboard Northumberland as part of the Channel Squadron, he was posted in April 1890 to Trafalgar for service in the Mediterranean, and then joined Calypso as part of the Training Squadron from July 1891. Advanced to Acting Sub Lieutenant, and then confirmed in that rank on 31 March 1892, he was then further promoted to Lieutenant on 31 March 1893, and transferred to Volage in October 1893.
In October 1894 he joined Empress of India when with the Channel Squadron, and as of September 1895 attended a torpedo course with Victory. In August 1897 he was on staff duty, and wad promoted to Commander when with Vernon on 30 June 1903. After service with Albion on the China Station during 1904 to 1906, Bonham was appointed Commander of Vernon Torpedo School between 1906 and 1910, where he was likely training Russian naval officers, hence his award of the Order of St Stanislaus in August 1909, for which he was granted private permission to wear. Bonham had been promoted to Captain back on 30 June 1909.
Between October 1909 and October 1910 he completed both a Signal Course and a War Course, before being appointed to Hecla. Bonham was then given command of the newly launched scout cruiser Blonde from April to November 1911, and then had command of the minelayer Naiad between August 1912 and February 1914, in which month he was posted to President, and as such from February 1914 he was made the Inspecting Captain of Mine Sweeping Vessels, which position he held until 22 January 1916, when he was given command of the armoured cruiser Black Prince, which was later sunk at Jutland on the night of 31 May to 1 June 1916, with the loss of Bonham and the entirety of her crew after she blew up. Some 857 officers and men lost their lives.
‘The cruiser Black Prince which, at the first meeting of the two main fleets had followed her flagship, Defence, into action and been roughly handled at the time that Defence had been blown up and Warrior disabled, had been left behind by the Grand Fleet's turn to the southward after deployment. For some reason which will never be known, she was still at this time far astern of and out of touch with the British fleet; but when a line of battleships was dimly seen ahead, it was no doubt thought that they were the British squadrons. Course was altered to close them. At a bare half-mile range, the German recognition signal flashed out. The horrified Captain Bonham, swung his ship away in a desperate effort to escape, but it was too late.
In the battleship Thuringen, the same deadly efficient night action procedure that had been displayed at the head of the line went into play. Brilliantly lit by half-a-dozen searchlights, the Black Prince was raked from stern to stem by a tornado of shells and lay a helpless wreck before she could even fire a shot in reply. As she drifted down the German line, ship after ship opened up on her, Thuringen, Ostfriesland, Nassau and, finally, as the fleet flagship Friedrich der Grosse, added her quota, the Black Prince met the same end as the Defence, blowing up with a tremendous explosion, vanishing with all hands...’ ("Jutland" by Captain Donald MacIntyre, 1957, refers).
Having gone down with his ship, Bonham is commemorated by name on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, and in addition, is commemorated by name on a plaque in St. Giles and All Saints Churchyard, Orsett, Essex. Confirmed as his full entitlement.
